INTRODUCTION:

(Deuteronomy 4:2 [KJV])
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

(Proverbs 30:5, 6 [KJV])
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

(Isaiah 28:10 [KJV])
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

(Isaiah 28:13 [KJV])
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

(2 Peter 1:20 [KJV])
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

All of the studies found here, whether book studies or topical studies, are done with research with mainly two things: The KING JAMES BIBLE and a plain old, 1828 Webster's Dictionary. Why? Outside of actually studying secular and Jewish history, archaeology, one needs nothing more. You do not need foreign, dead languages that no one speaks, nor lexicons, nor concordances, nor commentaries, because they differ not only with one another and with the KING JAMES BIBLE, they create division, confusion, debate, and unbelief, apostasy, and a falling away from God Himself. We do not need them. That Word of God written and preserved for us in our own language is supposed to be enough, like the Old Testament was for the Jews, and as the New Testament was for the early Christians in Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, etc.

There are studies within as tangents on words, subjects found within the two testaments, as to broaden the scope of the study, to learn more, deeper truths. This is not an intellectual site with PhDs, theologians, and no worldly wisdom.. Check everything out, everything. Not just here, but with everything you read and see and hear. Be Bereans:

(Acts 17:11 [KJV])
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

(1 Thessalonians 2:13 [KJV])
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Always research for yourself, use all of the context, and never privately interpret!

Start of study

THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

The pre-tribulation rapture of the church, the body of Christ, is an event that is sudden, with no prophecy fulfillments necessary for it to happen, no warnings from the events of that day, except the trumpet blasts at the time it happens, no waiting period- just an unannounced occurrence cannot be predicted by any person, joyous for the believers and ushering in a time of utter chaos, which will lead to the Great Tribulation, the second half of three and a half years of a seven year period called "The Great Tribulation", before the return of the LORD Jesus Christ to earth. Similar events happened in various ways throughout Bible history, and it is spoken of in Scripture throughout. Like any biblical subject, it must be studied carefully, with the eyes of faith, letting the Word of God tell us what it says, means. The New Testament Christians had to be instructed on this, since the persecution was so utterly bad, rampant, that they thought that they were going through the Great Tribulation Jesus spoke about. The Jews and the disciples did not understand even that there was to be two comings of the Messiah, the Suffering and the Conquering Messiah, not understanding that the Messiah would die for them, for their sin(s), thinking that the only purpose for the Messiah was to set up His Kingdom on earth, in Israel. This came from avoiding and ignoring a literal interpretation of the Scriptures, much like today with many Christians.

THE CONTROVERSY

If the doctrine of a "post-tribulation 'rapture' (not really a rapture, removal from earth) is so occluded, so hidden, so obscure and so utterly esoteric that it cannot be found, proven in and from Scripture, without taking verses, words out of context and privately interpreting them, and one has to resort to some detailed "explanation" from "experts" who would like to think themselves "more knowledgeable", "more enlightened", then it must not be a Bible doctrine at all, but that person's private doctrine.

One of the biggest controversies in the Church today is the rapture. Many are now saying that, since it has not happened and, since many have predicted a date for it which was obviously wrong and, since "the word RAPTURE is not found in Scripture", and other various reasons, that it therefore will not happen until the end or, at the earliest, the middle of the Great Tribulation, spoken of by Jesus Himself.

These are certainly very weak and desperate arguments, since many things in Scripture took thousands of years to come to pass (i.e. the Gospel foretold in Genesis 3:15) and, since mankind, deliberately or accidentally, being wrong about a timing of the Rapture he has no knowledge of anyways, wrongly predicts it constantly and, since so many words used in Christianity today do not appear in Scripture in English, it does not follow that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture will not happen. But, alas, because we are in the last days, unbelief and apostasy are ever, very present, prevalent and growing in the Church.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE

There are many important doctrines we see in God's Word which are not explicitly written in the exact sentence, with the exact words, in the exact order we would like them to be in, so that we could explicitly, exactly, specifically and directly quote them. It does not mean it is or is not a doctrine. A teaching can be throughout, scattered among many books, cover to cover. Can you show me a verse which specifically says, with all of the words, in order, "You need to go to church"? "Denomination"? "Non-denominational"? Is the word "human" to be found there, in English? The word "Bible"? How about "Christianity?"

When we add to that the increase of knowledge of Biblically prophetic things in every way now in the last days, archaeological discoveries confirming Scripture, One Worldism, Israel's return to her land and preparation for the Third Temple, spiritual satanic activity on the rise, increased spiritual deception and blindness, intense increase of evil, the rise of the belief in evolutionism, the fast rise of Islam on the world stage and its alliance-forming with Russia, The European Union, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, wars and rumors of wars, the latest heretical edicts from Rome's popes on key biblical doctrines, coupled with the technology for making a mark on every worshiper of the beast and for worldwide broadcasts of the Great Tribulation live to all (even through their cell phones!) and, last but not least, the great falling away of the believers themselves (Revelation 3:14-22), it should be obvious to any true believer that the Rapture also cannot be far away.

Now add to this the fact that, cover to cover, Genesis to Revelation, God has never NOT fulfilled a single prophecy; He siimply is not done yet. But, in the past, in all of recorded history, God has all of the time done exacty what He said He would do, so calling into question this promise means calling into question God Himself, something a Christian should never entertain doing.

People setting dates for the Rapture or Second Coming does not help, either. First off, Jesus told us that we could not, in Matthew 25:13:

PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE: WHAT IS IT?

The rapture of the church is soon coming, unannounced event in history, one with many types, examples, forerunners. This event is when Jesus comes in the clouds to remove His church and take them to heaven. No events have to precede this one, and even the first century Christians were confused and had to be corrected by Paul on this, which will be presented herein.

(1 Corinthians 15:51-52 [AKJV/PCE])
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 [AKJV/PCE])
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

  1. Because there are no real, actual signs on a schedule that tell us that this is about to happen, it is completely unpredictable
  2. Its origin is in Scripture, from Greek, through Latin and then into English, the Latin being used (along with other languages) to translate the English Bible. So, in the verses above, the words “caught up” are translated from the Greek word harpazo, which does not sound at all like the word "rapture", but means “to carry off” or “snatch up,” or “snatch away grasp hastily.” The translation from the Greek Word "harpazo" to our word today at discussion, namely “rapture”, involved two steps: first, the Greek word "harpazo" was translated into the Latin word "raptus"; second, raptus, from which, by translation again gives us the English word “rapture.”
  3. Whether one likes this word being thrown around, because it is not a word directly found in our English Bibles, is irrelevant, and no matter, because the event itself is something that literally is taught, cover to covert
  4. It can be shown and is a separate event from the Second Coming by the text itself, and all events through recorded biblical history, and the description of the two events are completely different, and that is undeniable

THE RAPTURE: NOT A UNIQUE EVENT SAVING US FROM GOD'S WRATH

A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A PRIORI ERROR:
THE TWO COMINGS, THE SUFFERING vs. THE CONQUERING MESSIAH

The Jews believed that, since it said in their own Scriptures, that the Messiah was coming, they believed He was coming to save them once again, this time from Roman Rule and reign on earth forever. They did not read or understand that there would be two comings, as it is written, because it clearly states and teaches that there MUST be two comings, the Suffering Messiah (First Coming, Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 53:1, Psalm 22;1) and the Conquering/Claiming Messiah (Second Coming), Revelation 19:2, Revelation 19:11, etc.. Why did they miss it? Because it did not specifically say the exact sentence, "The Messiah is coming twice for Israel"! God even combined the two in one verse for them, and they still missed it! (Zechariah 12:10 below)

THE SUFFERING MESSIAH

(Genesis 3:15 [KJV])
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

(Daniel 9:26 [KJV])
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

(Isaiah 53:1-12 [KJV])
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

(Psalms 22:1-27 [KJV])
To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

(Zechariah 9:9 [AKJV/PCE])
¶ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Jesus came to conquer death at that time, and did so at the Cross, but He did not conquer Rome and all of the nations wanting to destroy Israel then, as now. It was not "the fullness of time" yet.

THE CONQUERING MESSIAH

(Revelation 1:7 [AKJV/PCE])
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

(Revelation 19:11 [AKJV/PCE])
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

(Micah 5:2 [AKJV/PCE])
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

THE TWO MESSIANIC COMINGS: TWO DESCRIPTIONS

  1. The Lamb of God, a sacrifice for Israel and the world, for sin, not for Himself
  2. A reigning King, Lion of the tribe of Judah
  3. These cannot be at the same time in both testaments, they cannot

ISRAEL'S CONCLUSION: A CONQUERING MESSIAH, NOT A SUFFERING ONE

Because of not actually believing what they read, combined with religious self-righteousness, the Jews concluded that the Messiah would come to save them from the Roman Empire, not from their sin(s). This is the same issue with those who read the Word of God and ignore its rich teachings of God's practices with His people, the same every time. The Jews wanted relief from the Romans, the MEssiah only to come to set up His Kingdom; they wanted nothing to do with any suffering, as they were unaware of the two comings, not the redemption of their souls(First Coming), one for the redemption of the earth (Second Coming). By the same token, in the same exact way, the church as a body in America is now being taught to ignore the two comings, one for the church, one for His Kingdom and to save Israel. The cause? The reason? Listening to man, not reading God's Word in its context. Appeals to authority ("he has a seminary degree; what do you have?") and appeals to majority ("most Christians do not believe that!")

Acts 1:6-8 [KJV]
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

If you will notice carefully, Jesus ignores them completely and tells them what to expect-The Holy Ghost. He tells them they will not know when He will restore the kingdom, so stop worrying about it. In the same way, most Christians now in Laodicea think there is one coming of Jesus Christ, at the end of the Tribulation, confusing tribulation (coming fast in the form of persecution) and THE GREAT TRIBULATION (completely different event, completely different people involved). This all leads to "prepping" for the Great Tribulation" like somehow God will preserve the Church body during it, like Israel in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD in Petra or something. This is smelly, rank, open heresy and a lie,which comes from a priori conclusions before one even picks up the Word of God to study it, based upon what they were told, not the Word of God.

THE CHURCH SAINTS vs. THE GENTILE SAINTS OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION

The saints in Revelation are the the Church Age Gentile saints, the saints in Revelation are Jewish and Gentile saints who will get saved during that time after the Rapture of the Church, as will be shown, since the church will not be here. Why? Jesus said so:

(Matthew 16:18 [AKJV/PCE])
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Contrast this promise with the fate of the saints in the Great Tribulation:

(Revelation 13:7 [AKJV/PCE])
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

This cannot be speaking about the same group of people, since it says he is to overcome them, whereas Jesus said that will not happen with the His church. After the Rapture happens, there will be a massive revival of both Jews and Gentiles, as those left behind realize what has happened to their suddenly disappearing and missing acquaintances, friends and family.

THE OLIVET DISCOURSE

Either one of two things is happenign here: TWO COMINGS or Jesus contradicts Himself. Your choice.

(Matthew 24:33 [AKJV/PCE])
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

  1. Israel in their land, Jerusalem is their principal city
  2. Temple is rebuilt
  3. The anti-Christ has committed the abomination of desolation-AGAIN
  4. People are starving, chased all over the earth
  5. The two witnesses have been out and about in the streets, then killed by the anti-Christ, seen by all
  6. People have already been deceived so badly they think "The Messiah is here!", "No the Messiah is over there!"
  7. The anti-Christ has his image in the temple
  8. The anti-Christ himself knows that this is the end for him
  9. The armies of the world are surrounding Israel
  10. This is a time of massive war
  11. Plain to see for all on earth, as lightning, horizon to horizon
  12. This is obviously the Second Coming
(Matthew 24:44 [AKJV/PCE])
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

  1. The Second Coming is in an hour when all will have all of the evidence they need to time it, to the day
  2. This speaks of utter surprise, no announcement, no world wars, a time of "peace and safety"

The questions asked in the Olivet Discourse are about the Second Coming, so then the answer is to that question. The church, the body of Christ, is a parenthesis in history, a hidden thing, which are namely, "When shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?".

THE LUKE 17 PROBLEM

(Luke 17:20-37 [AKJV/PCE])
¶ And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife.

Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

Righteous are taken out, the dead (spiritually and physically, depending) are judged. So in the Flood of Noah's day, and in the days of Lot, Sodom, Gomorrah. Sudden disappearance of the righteous (Noah, his family), and Lot and his family (minus perhaps the wife).

Since these are the questions, Jesus answers those questions, which are about the Messiah of Israel coming, when, and when will He judge the earth, Israel's enemies, ending the world? These questions stem from the Old Testament prophecies. The Jews did not understand that there would be two arrivals, two comings of the Messiah. The church today is in the same mindset, not understanding that there are two comings of Jesus Christ, one in the air, one to the earth. So, like Israel, the church misses the mark, not understanding that there are two comings. On top of that, in fulfillment of 2 Peter 3:3, they are scoffers, mockers who call you names like "Pre-Tribbers", because there is noevidence for what they believe. The Jews did not think even that the Messiah was coming to die for them, even though it said so right before their eyes, in their own Scriptures, in Daniel 9:26! They further, just like the disciples themselves, did not think that their Messiah would die, then wait, form a Gentile Church, then come back now over 2,000 years later to fulfill the entire Daniel prophecy.
  1. There is no reason to mention the church, let alone the pre-tribulation rapture-it was not the question, and not the expected answer
  2. There are two comings of the Messiah: Jesus being there then (1), and His return (2)

The Scriptures in not one single place teach, infer, hint in any way that the church will usher in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ by converting the world, in fact Jesus even said the opposite!

(Luke 18:8 [KJV])
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

The answer to the question Jesus asks here, by its context, by Revelation, the epistles, Matthew 24, Luke 21, Revelation say a very loud, "NO!!!"

Romans 5:8-9
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

(1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

II Corinthians 1:10:
Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us ;

I Thessalonians 1:10:
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

I Thessalonians 5:9:
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Titus 2:13:
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Revelation 3:10:
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Hope, saving us from His Wrath which is coming upon all the earth, which would include the church on that same earth, if we were here at that time.

Matthew 25:13:
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

If there were signs to watch for, we would be able to date it, with precision. Jesus said we cannot, making it imminent, even to the people in Paul's day.
The only problem then was, they did not recognize that they were not in the season, with Israel returning to their land after Jerusalem was destroyed, because it was not yet destroyed!
Today, with the tiny nation of Israel as a main barometer, being returned to their land after 2,000 years in 1948, what with the technology for the mark of the beast in place, the calls for one-worldism coming from every country's leaders, the push for "The Great Reset", bitcoin, blockchain, the whole control over all with "vaccine" mandates, lockdowns, complete control over food, land, water, etc. and the advent of a completely digital world currency, and all of the other signs of the last days, thoughts of the Rapture among believers are ever present. However, not all believers share those thoughts. Many of those events are happening all at once, more and more, faster and faster, like birth pangs. One thing any mother or nurse knows about birth pangs (labor pains) is, once they start, that baby is on its way, guaranteed, ready or not. It is clear that, without living in these last days, the writers of some prophecy would not, could not have completely understood all that the verses literally mean, not having seen the technology first hand. It simply was not possible then for them to even envision, let alone having the whole world see two dead people in the streets of Jerusalem, on a screen or hologram, live before their eyes:

Revelation of John 11:3-12:
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

So here we see that the Jews alive at this time have a very exact way to determine the LORD's return to earth to save Israel from her enemies and, no matter how strange the days are before the middle of the tribulation

Amos 5:18-20 [(KJV)]
Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

It must be understood first that the Day of the LORD is not a pleasant time at all, but hell and wrath released on earth in judgment, not love, peace, puppies, unicorns, flowers! The death of two of GOD'S witnesses of the Gospel on earth brings a Christmas celebration, to show just how evil the anti-Christ kingdom will be!

Zechariah 12:10
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

The rejection of the imminent return of the LORD Jesus Christ is a clear, perfect example of this:

2 Peter 3:3-4:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

While these verses also speak of the theory of evolution and the concept of "millions of years" uniformitarianism, are there not people saying, "where is the promise of His coming?" and mocking the Pre-Tribulation proponents, saying,

"It's because the rapture is at the MIDDLE or the END, not the beginning!"?

Of course they are saying it.

The rejecters of the pre-Tribulation rapture claim that the Church will go through the Great Tribulation Judgment of God's Wrath upon the earth and the enemy, and will personally experience the anti-Christ's kingdom, some even claiming that Christians will have an opportunity to take the mark of the beast (and somehow "losing their salvation"?     !!!)    apparently somehow being shielded from God's Wrath. While God is certainly capable of doing this, it goes against His character, shown consistent throughout Scripture, not to mention what He specifically said He would do.

If this was true, then God has changed His character and dealings with His people somehow, since He has never done such a thing before now in history. It is obvious from our primary barometer, Israel, and her return to the land to become a cup of trembling, plus all current events prophesied about the last days being fulfilled now, that the seven year Tribulation period can not be too far off. It is certain that we are in the last days and that we are living in the days leading up to the start of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21, Revelation 2:22, Revelation 7:14).

(Zechariah 12:2 [KJV])
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

THE WRATH OF GOD AGAINST THE WORLD IN JUDGMENT

(Genesis 39:19 [KJV])
And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.

(Genesis 49:7 [KJV])
Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

(Exodus 15:7 [KJV])
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.

(Exodus 22:24 [KJV])
And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

(Exodus 32:10 [KJV])
Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

(Exodus 32:11 [KJV])
And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

(Exodus 32:12 [KJV])
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

(Leviticus 10:6 [KJV])
And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.

(Numbers 1:53 [KJV])
But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.

(Numbers 11:33 [KJV])
And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.

(Numbers 16:46 [KJV])
And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.

(Numbers 18:5 [KJV])
And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

(Numbers 25:11 [KJV])
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.

(Deuteronomy 9:7 [KJV])
Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.

(Deuteronomy 9:8 [KJV])
Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you.

(Deuteronomy 9:22 [KJV])
And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibrothhattaavah, ye provoked the LORD to wrath.

(Deuteronomy 11:17 [KJV])
And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.

(Deuteronomy 29:23 [KJV])
And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:

(Deuteronomy 29:28 [KJV])
And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.

(Deuteronomy 32:27 [KJV])
Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this.

(Joshua 9:20 [KJV])
This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.

(Joshua 22:20 [KJV])
Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.

(1 Samuel 28:18 [KJV])
Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.

(2 Samuel 11:20 [KJV])
And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

(2 Kings 22:13 [KJV])
Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

(2 Kings 22:17 [KJV])
Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.

(2 Kings 23:26 [KJV])
Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.

(1 Chronicles 27:24 [KJV])
Joab the son of Zeruiah began to number, but he finished not, because there fell wrath for it against Israel; neither was the number put in the account of the chronicles of king David.

(2 Chronicles 12:7 [KJV])
And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

(2 Chronicles 12:12 [KJV])
And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.

(2 Chronicles 19:2 [KJV])
And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.

(2 Chronicles 19:10 [KJV])
And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the LORD, and so wrath come upon you, and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not trespass.

(2 Chronicles 24:18 [KJV])
And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.

(2 Chronicles 28:11 [KJV])
Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.

(2 Chronicles 28:13 [KJV])
And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.

(2 Chronicles 29:8 [KJV])
Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes.

(2 Chronicles 29:10 [KJV])
Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

(2 Chronicles 30:8 [KJV])
Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.

(2 Chronicles 32:25 [KJV])
But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

(2 Chronicles 32:26 [KJV])
Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

(2 Chronicles 34:21 [KJV])
Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.

(2 Chronicles 34:25 [KJV])
Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.

(2 Chronicles 36:16 [KJV])
But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

(Ezra 5:12 [KJV])
But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon.

(Ezra 7:23 [KJV])
Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

(Ezra 8:22 [KJV])
For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.

(Ezra 10:14 [KJV])
Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.

(Nehemiah 13:18 [KJV])
Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.

(Esther 1:18 [KJV])
Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king's princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.

(Esther 2:1 [KJV])
After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.

(Esther 3:5 [KJV])
And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.

(Esther 7:7 [KJV])
And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

(Esther 7:10 [KJV])
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.

(Job 5:2 [KJV])
For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.

(Job 14:13 [KJV])
O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

(Job 16:9 [KJV])
He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.

(Job 19:11 [KJV])
He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.

(Job 19:29 [KJV])
Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.

(Job 20:23 [KJV])
When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating.

(Job 20:28 [KJV])
The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.

(Job 21:20 [KJV])
His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

(Job 21:30 [KJV])
That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.

(Job 32:2 [KJV])
Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.

(Job 32:3 [KJV])
Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

(Job 32:5 [KJV])
When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled.

(Job 36:13 [KJV])
But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them.

(Job 36:18 [KJV])
Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee.

(Job 40:11 [KJV])
Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.

(Job 42:7 [KJV])
And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

(Psalms 2:5 [KJV])
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

(Psalms 2:12 [KJV])
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

(Psalms 21:9 [KJV])
Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

(Psalms 37:8 [KJV])
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

(Psalms 38:1 [KJV])
A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

(Psalms 55:3 [KJV])
Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.

(Psalms 58:9 [KJV])
Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.

(Psalms 59:13 [KJV])
Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.

(Psalms 69:24 [KJV])
Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.

(Psalms 76:10 [KJV])
Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

(Psalms 78:31 [KJV])
The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

(Psalms 78:38 [KJV])
But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

(Psalms 78:49 [KJV])
He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

(Psalms 79:6 [KJV])
Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.

(Psalms 85:3 [KJV])
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

(Psalms 88:7 [KJV])
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.

(Psalms 88:16 [KJV])
Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.

(Psalms 89:46 [KJV])
How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?

(Psalms 90:7 [KJV])
For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

(Psalms 90:9 [KJV])
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.

(Psalms 90:11 [KJV])
Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

(Psalms 95:11 [KJV])
Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

(Psalms 102:10 [KJV])
Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.

(Psalms 106:23 [KJV])
Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.

(Psalms 106:40 [KJV])
Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.

(Psalms 110:5 [KJV])
The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.

(Psalms 124:3 [KJV])
Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:

(Psalms 138:7 [KJV])
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.

(Proverbs 11:4 [KJV])
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.

(Proverbs 11:23 [KJV])
The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

(Proverbs 12:16 [KJV])
A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.

(Proverbs 14:29 [KJV])
He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

(Proverbs 14:35 [KJV])
The king's favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.

(Proverbs 15:1 [KJV])
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

(Proverbs 15:18 [KJV])
A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

(Proverbs 16:14 [KJV])
The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.

(Proverbs 19:12 [KJV])
The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

(Proverbs 19:19 [KJV])
A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.

(Proverbs 21:14 [KJV])
A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.

(Proverbs 21:24 [KJV])
Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.

(Proverbs 24:18 [KJV])
Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

(Proverbs 27:3 [KJV])
A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both.

(Proverbs 27:4 [KJV])
Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

(Proverbs 29:8 [KJV])
Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.

(Proverbs 30:33 [KJV])
Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

(Ecclesiastes 5:17 [KJV])
All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

(Isaiah 9:19 [KJV])
Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

(Isaiah 10:6 [KJV])
I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

(Isaiah 13:9 [KJV])
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

(Isaiah 13:13 [KJV])
Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

(Isaiah 14:6 [KJV])
He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

(Isaiah 16:6 [KJV])
We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.

(Isaiah 54:8 [KJV])
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

(Isaiah 60:10 [KJV])
And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

(Jeremiah 7:29 [KJV])
Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.

(Jeremiah 10:10 [KJV])
But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

(Jeremiah 18:20 [KJV])
Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.

(Jeremiah 21:5 [KJV])
And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

(Jeremiah 32:37 [KJV])
Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:

(Jeremiah 44:8 [KJV])
In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

(Jeremiah 48:30 [KJV])
I know his wrath, saith the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it.

(Jeremiah 50:13 [KJV])
Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.

(Lamentations 2:2 [KJV])
The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.

(Lamentations 3:1 [KJV])
I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

(Ezekiel 7:12 [KJV])
The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.

(Ezekiel 7:14 [KJV])
They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.

(Ezekiel 7:19 [KJV])
They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

(Ezekiel 13:15 [KJV])
Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;

(Ezekiel 21:31 [KJV])
And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy.

(Ezekiel 22:21 [KJV])
Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.

(Ezekiel 22:31 [KJV])
Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.

(Ezekiel 38:19 [KJV])
For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

(Hosea 5:10 [KJV])
The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.

(Hosea 13:11 [KJV])
I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.

(Amos 1:11 [KJV])
Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever:

(Nahum 1:2 [KJV])
God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

(Habakkuk 3:2 [KJV])
O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

(Habakkuk 3:8 [KJV])
Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation?

(Zephaniah 1:15 [KJV])
That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

(Zephaniah 1:18 [KJV])
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

(Zechariah 7:12 [KJV])
Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.

(Zechariah 8:14 [KJV])
For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:

(Matthew 3:7 [KJV])
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

(Luke 3:7 [KJV])
Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

(Luke 4:28 [KJV])
And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

(Luke 21:23 [KJV])
But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

(John 3:36 [KJV])
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

(Acts 19:28 [KJV])
And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

(Romans 1:18 [KJV])
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

(Romans 2:5 [KJV])
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

(Romans 2:8 [KJV])
But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

(Romans 4:15 [KJV])
Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

(Romans 5:9 [KJV])
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

(Romans 9:22 [KJV])
What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

(Romans 12:19 [KJV])
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

(Romans 13:4 [KJV])
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

(Romans 13:5 [KJV])
Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

(2 Corinthians 12:20 [KJV])
For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

(Galatians 5:20 [KJV])
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

(Ephesians 2:3 [KJV])
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

(Ephesians 4:26 [KJV])
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

(Ephesians 4:31 [KJV])
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

(Ephesians 5:6 [KJV])
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

(Ephesians 6:4 [KJV])
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

(Colossians 3:6 [KJV])
For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

(Colossians 3:8 [KJV])
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

(1 Thessalonians 1:10 [KJV])
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

(1 Thessalonians 2:16 [KJV])
Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

(1 Thessalonians 5:9 [KJV])
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

(1 Timothy 2:8 [KJV])
I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

(Hebrews 3:11 [KJV])
So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

(Hebrews 4:3 [KJV])
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

(Hebrews 11:27 [KJV])
By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

(James 1:19 [KJV])
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

(James 1:20 [KJV])
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

(Revelation 6:16 [KJV])
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

(Revelation 6:17 [KJV])
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

(Revelation 11:18 [KJV])
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

(Revelation 12:12 [KJV])
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

(Revelation 14:8 [KJV])
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

(Revelation 14:10 [KJV])
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

(Revelation 14:19 [KJV])
And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

(Revelation 15:1 [KJV])
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

(Revelation 15:7 [KJV])
And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

(Revelation 16:1 [KJV])
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

(Revelation 16:19 [KJV])
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

(Revelation 18:3 [KJV])
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

(Revelation 19:15 [KJV])
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

OUT OF CONTEXT: BEHOLD! ANOTHER PERFECT EXAMPLE

Matthew 24:29, 30:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

So let's stop right there, shall we? What further need have we of witnesses? Hey, it's what THEY do, they stop right there and go no further!!

The claim is that this set of verses teach a post-Tribulation "rapture". Here is a perfect example of unlearned and unstable men abusing Scripture, torturing Scripture, wresting Scripture, twisting it and removing it from its context, privately interpreting it so as to suit their pre-conceived notions. The post-tribbers claim that this clearly shows a "post-trib" scenario, with the clouds, with trumpets, with angels, gathering the elect. Perfect example of "post-trib", right?

Uh, nope. This is why people get into error, easily. Ignoring the CONTEXT (ignored here, distal and proximal) means you can make it seem as though this supports a post-trib rapture. On top of that, they believe wholesale what they are told without doing their own careful study. So easy a cave man can do it!!

2 Peter 3:16
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

(Acts 17:10-11 [AKJV/PCE])
¶ And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

It is a wrested set of verses, done without any further search of the Scriptures. Now let's add the actual ignored proximal context. The distal context is throughout this study and in the Word of God. Feel free to dive into it to check. Be a Berean; God invites you to be one.

Matthew 24:29-44:
¶Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

THE RAPTURE IS TO BE OUR HOPE, EXPECTATION, OF UNKNOWN TIMING, A MYSTERY

(Matthew 24:42 [KJV])
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

(Matthew 25:13 [KJV])
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

(Mark 13:32-37 [KJV])
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

(Romans 13:12 [KJV])
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

(Philippians 3:20 [KJV])
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

(Titus 2:13 [KJV])
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

(Philippians 4:5 [KJV])
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

(1 Thessalonians 1:10 [KJV])
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

(1 Thessalonians 5:4-10 [KJV])
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

(James 5:8,9 [KJV])
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

(Revelation 1:3 [KJV])
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

It is our hope, not our judgment, not God's wrath. It is our waiting in expectation, not knowing exactly when, but knowing the season, when the fig tree (Israel) has tender branches and is leafy, comes, right before summer

THE EXAMPLE OF NOAH'S FLOOD: MATTHEW 24 According to Jesus Himself:

One reason for this widespread belief is what I like to call "mainstreamism". However, having been around streams pretty much most of my life, and Christians thirty five plus years, I can state with certainty that,

"IF YOU FALL INTO THE MAINSTREAM, YOU WILL FLOAT DOWNSTREAM".

One should base none of their doctrine on what anyone else says, no matter who, no matter how many say it. One should always base a doctrine of God, important as this one is, solely upon God's Word and prepare to use that Word to back it up when challenged.

This would also be true of the Creation account, the Gospel message, the attitude towards Israel and the Jews, the sign gifts for today, etc. basically any doctrine from the Word of God, important, vital or peripheral. The damage done with mis-interpretation and lifting verses from their context deliberately is always severe, leading to unnecessary behavior, in this case it is often used to "prep" for something which will never happen, ie. the Church going through the Great Tribulation spoken of by the LORD Jesus Christ Himself, but this is also often even fatal to that person's faith, or that person themselves, or to others (ie. "Christian" suicide cults, anti-Semitism---->>>>>> Nazism). This is not to say, nor even imply, that the Church worldwide, including the American corporate church will not go through some persecution from the world or the enemy, and tribulation in this life for which we must prepare, personally or corporately, but that is not the same as "prepping" for THE Great Tribulation, where God's Wrath is poured out on the world. Not even close to the same. God disciplines His children; He does not pour out His Wrath in Judgment on her when He specifically tells us we are no longer under His Wrath, and we will be kept from the wrath to come, else the Cross of Christ is of "none effect".

I Corinthians 1:17:
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

TRIBULATION, IN GOD'S WORD(S)

Deuteronomy 4:30:
When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

Israel was told to turn to God in the end times and He would get them through it.

Judges 10:14:
Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

God literally sent them tribulation in His anger because they trusted other gods/idols

I Samuel 26:24:
And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.

David prayed to God to be delivered by God out of all tribulation in his future reign, after sparing Saul who was delivered into his hands by God.

Matthew 13:21:
Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Tribulation causes us to stumble and walk away from the LORD if we are not faithFULL
OTHER END DAYS VERSES IN MATTHEW AND MARK ARE COVERED ELSEWHERE IN THIS STUDY

OUR TRIBULATION THE GREAT TRIBULATION
Suffering for the faith, job loss, sickness, personal, familial, corporate persecution, satanic attacks, rejction by the world, family, friends, as a local body, imprisonment, trials, executions. Discipline from God, internal church judgment for controlling peaceful order. By the world and the enemy against the Church. Plagues worldwide, oceans, rivers, lakes dying, turned to poison worldwide, pestilences worldwide, evil leaders hiding in caves from the Wrath of Almighty God, beheadings worldwide, supernatural beings coming to sting men, not letting them die, but only to suffer. Judgment from God in His Wrath. By God against the world.

John 16:33:
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Jesus told the disciples they should expect it. Therefore, so should we. But that does not make it The Great Tribulation.

Acts 14:22:
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Again, it is a guarantee, an expectation, that we will encounter tribulation as believers. But that does not make it The Great Tribulation.

Romans 2:9:
Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

All unbelievers can expect tribulation, eventually. And this IS the Great Tribulation for the unbelievers, Jew or Gentile. Wrath, tribulation is directly stated here.

Romans 2:5-9:
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

Romans 5:3:
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

Romans 8:35:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 12:12:
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

II Corinthians 1:4:
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

II Corinthians 7:4:
Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

I Thessalonians 3:4:
For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

Revelation 1:9:
I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 2:9:
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Revelation 2:10:
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Our personal struggles help us grow, mentioned here in these many above verses, but they are still not The Great Tribulation.

II Thessalonians 1:6:
Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

Whichever this is, however it is meted out on them that persecute Christians, whenever, it is reserved for the enemies of God, not the Church, the Bride, the Body of Christ.

Revelation 2:22:
Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Revelation 7:14:
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Out of...as in removed, raptured, in Heaven. As in the Church. The twelve tribes are on earth, representing God, 144,000 of them.

THE RAPTURE

THE DOCTRINE

The doctrine of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture states that the Church, the body and bride of Christ, will be suddenly, without warning and secretly snatched/removed from the earth and changed, transformed, translated into our new glorified bodies, which will create utter chaos on earth, with millions/billions gone in a twinkling of an eye, ushering in the anti-Christ kingdom, currently in preparation, awaiting the timing of our Sovereign God's schedule.

From the Scriptures, the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, to Us:

(1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

It is a mystery. Not everyone dies. When the Rapture happens, there are trumpets blown. The Rapture is a comfort, a hope, a welcome expectation, not a time of fear, judgment of Christians, which will precede it if it were post-Tribulation, as it is now doing, worldwide, soon here in America. Christians are going through Tribulation worldwide now, as martyrs across the Middle East, North Africa, Russia, China, Cuba, all communist countries, in a massive persecution which is shortly about hitting the U.S., but that is not THE GREAT TRIBULATION. Read chapters 4-22 of Revelation and see for yourself.

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

We meet the LORD in the air, not on the ground, unlike all the world will at the end of the Tribulation

THE ARGUMENT FROM 2 THESSALONIANS 2

(2 Thessalonians 2:1-8)
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

(Matthew 24:15 [KJV])
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

(Revelation 11:1,2 [KJV])
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

The Holy Spirit (he who now letteth) will be "taken out of the way". In order to take out the Holy Spirit residing in the church for over 2,000 years now, the church must also be removed. Only THEN shall the anti-Christ be revealed. This is very important, as it says specifically, "then shall that wicked be revealed"....not before.

(John 14:1-4 [KJV])
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

This makes zero sense if Jesus comes back to earth at the end of the tribulation whatsoever, since our mansions are in heaven, not on earth, like He says here! Jesus did not go to Israel, the Congo, Australia, South America, Asia, the U.S. to make mansions, He went to HEAVEN.

(1 Thessalonians 1:10)
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

And:

I Thessalonians 5:9:
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

We are not under God's Wrath, as Jesus delivered us from that wrath on the Cross. These sets of verses are only a few of the overall amount of verses, but they illustrate a couple of key points:

THE MEANING: BECAUSE THE TRIBULATION IS GOD'S WRATH

It is not complicated. First, the Church will be snatched away suddenly and without warning from the earth to meet Jesus in the air, and leave with Him to our new home, ushering in the Great Tribulation. It will usher in rather quickly a time of total chaos, never before seen like this in the world's history, as vehicles, machines, planes, boats, trains crash due to having no drivers. People's loved ones, associates, friends will witness the disappearance of many millions and billions of people, in an instant, with no explanation, except that prepared by the enemy of this world for the world, broadcast worldwide to every electronic device with a screen, which enemy will then be revealed to the world to emerge and appear, in order to take over the world in the chaos. That Rapture is not something we will do or participate in, as in we leave earth. The very word is about someone taking us out, removing us, like a thief would take something and leave immediately, leaving no trace. This is what Jesus Himself compared it to, a thief in the night. The day that the Rapture happens, it starts "the Day of the LORD", the anti-Christ will be unveiled to the world who will worship him.

(Matthew 24:42-44 [KJV])
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Tribulation in the last days in the form of persecution is FROM the world and FROM the enemy UPON the Church; whereas The Great Tribulation in the book of Revelation in the form of judgment FROM GOD HIMSELF upon the WORLD AND THE ENEMY!

From the Scriptures, the The Second Coming:

THE WRATH OF GOD

(Isaiah 13:9)
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

(Revelation 6:16-17)
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

(Revelation 11:18)
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

The DEAD are judged; we are alive through Christ and no longer spiritually dead.

(Revelation 14:8)
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

A certain, specific anger and Holy Wrath is especially reserved for Babylon, Mystery Babylon.

(Revelation 14:10)
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Yet another certain, specific anger and Holy Wrath is especially reserved for the anti-Christ worshippers.

(Revelation 14:19)
And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

(Revelation 15:1)
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

(Revelation 15:7)
And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

(Revelation 16:1)
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

The entire earth is ripe for God's wrath.

(Revelation 16:19)
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

(Revelation 18:3)
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

(Revelation 19:15)
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

(Jude 1:5)
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

(Jude 1:14 [AKJV/PCE])
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

Enoch, who was translated (raptured), saw us coming back with the LORD at His second coming, and he was after translated. We will be coming back because the only way we can come WITH Him is to BE with Him, leaving heaven to come to earth.

THE IMPORTANCE

To determine the importance of any biblical subject, look at how much time God uses discussing it with us. How much Scripture talks about the last days? Prophecy? Prophecy and the last days? The Second Coming? The subject of the rapture is not a cause for division, but neither a subject to be avoided so as to avoid controversy, since it is so important to God Himself, the author of His Word and the Author and Finisher of our faith.

The very concept of the Rapture speaks to God's character, consistency and history with His believers. God has a history of raptures and removals of believers, several times throughout the Bible, right before the judgment of the world or a nation of unbelievers where His people live. When God judged Israel, He brought them away into captivity into a pagan nation, their enemy. At that time the pagan nation was not yet destroyed. AFTER He released Israel from their captivity, they were ushered away, THEN that nation that held them was destroyed. This was true in Egypt under Pharaoh, Assyria, Babylon, etc. In other words, Scripture shows us clearly that God never judged a nation where His people were, without removing them first. To suggest HE would suddenly do this with the Church while judging the entire planet makes Him inconsistent in His character and dealings with His people and it says that God's wrath was not satisfied on the Cross of Christ, which is rank heresy. If the Church is not under judgment for sin, if Christ truly took all of our punishment on Himself at the Cross, 100%, then there is no reason for the Church to be here during the Great Tribulation. After all, this worldwide judgment will be even worse than the Flood of Noah's day, since the enemy will be bound 1,000 years, none of the unbelieving, pagan nations will be free to try yet again to form a OneWorld system of any type, God Himself will be on earth with mankind, and on it goes. Besides all of this...

God's character says that His people who are true believers are not under His judgment and wrath any longer, since Jesus Christ Himself took ours from us. Our judgment was turned into justification. In some instances, such as Elijah and Enoch, it was done simply because that is what God wanted to do, perhaps just to illustrate a type of Rapture. Whatever the reason, it was done in the past in Scripture.

I Thessalonians 4:15-18:
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

THERE CAN BE NO COMFORT WHATSOEVER IN KNOWING WE WILL BE HERE DURING THE TRIBULATION, UNDER GOD'S WRATH!!!! NONE!!!!

Go ahead and read the Revelation. A moment's thought while reading Revelation and all prophecies concerning God's Wrath in the Day of the LORD will bring fear, not comfort, as nothing in there is pretty with beheadings, famines, pestilences, wild beasts killing and tearing apart people, plagues, dead animals, dead oceans, dead rivers, dead vegetation, vultures circling, deadly poisonous drinking water, etc.

(Isaiah 53:4-5)
¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

(Romans 5:18)
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

(Romans 4:25)
Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

(Romans 5:1)
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

(Romans 5:9)
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

The Tribulation is God's Wrath poured out, without dilution, on the earth.

(Hebrews 7:25)
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

If Jesus did not take all of our judgment, we are then not saved, and are without hope still. If He did, then we are not under God's wrath and judgment. The Great Tribulation is God's time of wrath and judgment upon the entire earth so, as believers, we are not part of this wrath and judgment. So what has God consistently done with the innocent when He would judge a large group, nation, the earth? He always removed His people who were to be spared.

Persecution is Tribulation, but it is certainly NOT the Great Tribulation. As was stated, Tribulation in the last days in the form of persecution is FROM the world and from the enemy UPON the Church; whereas The Great Tribulation in the book of Revelation is judgment FROM GOD HIMSELF upon the WORLD AND THE ENEMY!

THE IMMINENCE

I Corinthians 1:7:
So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Philippians 3:20:
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Titus 2:13:
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Hebrews 9:28:
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

I Thessalonians 1:10:
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

I Thessalonians 4:18:
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

I Thessalonians 5:6:
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Revelation of John 22:20:
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

SOME OBJECTIONS TO THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE POSITION

  1. "The word 'rapture' is not found in the Bible"
  2. It was a mystery
  3. The early church did not believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture
  4. The Bible does not teach that the Church will be raptured from the earth before the Great Tribulation
  5. The trumpets of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 are the same trumpets found in Revelation 11:15-18, Joel 2:1, and Matthew 24:31 which, of course, all are sounded during the Great Tribulation.
  6. "Pre-Tribbers" are convenient escapists who simply do not want to believe we are going to go through it, so they do not have to prepare for any evils coming. This "Pre-Trib" belief can be taken as a reason to stop all activity for the LORD and was admonished by Paul.
  7. The Pre-Trib position is preposterous!"

1. "The word 'rapture' is not found in the Bible"

This is really an extremely ridiculous argument, easily dismantled with simple logic, since the word "Bible" appears in no place in the Bible!
Think of this. Where in the Old Testament does it say that the New Testament would be in Greek? Since it does not, then all of the words in Greek do not contain any of the words in Hebrew, therefore all of those in the New Testament words are "not in the Bible". Not a single Hebrew or Greek Word in existence then, or now, appears in any English Bible so, therefore, all Words in English do not appear in the Bible, including Jesus Christ, salvation, Flood, Blood, washing away sin, Creation AND -oh, and Rapture! In other words, "Because God's Word was originally written in Hebrew and Greek, one could truthfully say that no English words are in the Bible." . This is consistency in our thinking. By the way? The Word YAHWEH is a pagan term, is a Canaanite god whose wife was Ashtoreth, appears no place in Scripture and yet, most "scholars" do not hesitate to use it, constantly, most preachers preach it, most Christian authors and media broadcasters use it daily. Nor does the word "TRINITY" appear any place in Scripture. Ever hear any Christian, over time, NOT use it? No, simply because no true born-again Christian rejects the concept which is clearly taught cover to cover. Have you ever seen the word "dinosaur" in Scripture? How about "bacteria"? The word "marsupial"? How about "platypus"? The word "technology"?

Now, for those who abhor the Word of God in their own English language, and love it in foreign, dead languages, here is the Latin Vulgate:

"Deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus.
-1 Thessalonians 4:17 (Latin Vulgate)"

"Rapiemur is the proper tense of the verb rapio: Our English words rapt and rapture come from that past partciple of rapio. "

So, since the English Bible arose out of, of many others, the Latin Vulgate, the word "rapture" is translated out of the Latin Vulgate here. It must be further stated that the Latin Vulgate is one of the oldest translations out there. The Middle Latin word is "raptura". How close do you need to get to our English word "rapture"? Closer? Fine. In addition to this, the word "rapture" appears with the exact same spelling in the French Bible in Middle French. This means seizing, kidnapping, or snatching, and comes from the Latin "Raptus", meaning "a caarrying off" or "a carrying away". Hmmmmm...

WORDS NOT FOUND IN SCRIPTURE THAT CHRISTIANS USE CONSTANTLY
  1. Bible
  2. Christianity
  3. Christendom
  4. Trinity
  5. Theology/theologians
  6. Christmas
  7. God helps those who help themselves
  8. "Go to church"
  9. "Wise men", "Magi"
  10. Pew
  11. "Eve ate the apple"
  12. "Money is the root of all evil"
  13. "Missionary"
  14. "Shekinah Glory"

DO YOU LIKE THE GREEK?

Same Greek word, "harpazo" is used in Acts 8:39 (PHILLIP), 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (PAUL), 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (the CHURCH) and Revelation 12:5 (JESUS)! The verb for this in Greek is "harpargisometha", meaning "caught up" or "taken away" very suddenly.

HOW ABOUT THE LATIN?

The Latin word is where we get the term from, not the Greek!

THE DEFINITION


RAP'TURE, n. [L. raptus, rapio.] From Latin "rapturo," or “rapere ", a translation of the Greek verb "caught up", which is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

THE RAPTURE WAS/IS A MYSTERY

1 Corinthians 15:51-54:
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

So what we see here is that it is, in fact, a mystery. That is 100% correct! Of course it is! It says it is a mystery, so what else would one expect? God specifically SAID it is a mystery, so why would we think or even imagine otherwise? It is a NEW Testament, not the OLD Testament. It is the Church age, not the age of Israel (not yet). How many words and concepts are not in the Old Testament? Born again? Tongues? Washed in the Blood? Think about that.

"The early church did not believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture"

"The idea of the pre-tribulation rapture started with a girl named Margaret MacDonald, who started this theological view back in 1830."

One problem with Christians is repeating what they were told. Another is not being a Berean and not studying a matter, and accepting it whole sale, So this myth of the origin of the idea of The Rapture proceeds, except that it did not originate with Margaret MacDonald in the least. It originated in Scripture, and was talked about the last 2,000 years, all throughout. The problem with this line of argument is that it does not even matter who believed what, and when, at all. What matters is what God teaches us. Authorities and majorities should not impress us in the least. Who said what when is meaningless

Science is a perfect example of this:

ONE ARGUMENT MADE IS THAT

"MOST SCIENTISTS BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION BECAUSE
MOST SCIENTISTS BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION"!

NEWSFLASH: Here are a few examples of times when the "Crowd" was wrong.

  1. Adam Thompson of Cinccinatti invented the bathtub. Doctors said it's use would lead to all kinds of medical maladies, from rheumatism to lung problems. Today every house has a bathroom.
  2. At the time of early cars, England made it illegal to drive faster than four miles an hour unless there was a person with a red flag running in front of them.
  3. Everyone laughed when Westinghouse wanted to stop a train using the wind. Yet today all forms of transportation use air brakes.
  4. Mr. Charles Goodyear and his wife tried for eleven years to Vulcanize Rubber. Everyone called them "crazy". Today millions ride on Goodyear tires.
  5. Zane Grey was told he would never be able to write. People today still read his books.
  6. Musicians and critics mocked and laughed when Richard Wagner wrote music. But his compositions transformed the music world. The crowd was wrong.
  7. "What is Radium?" the crowd jeered at Madame Curie. Today it is a valuable asset in fighting disease.

IN EVERY CASE, THE CROWD WAS VERY WRONG!

Therefore, the argument that the early church's belief matters to ours is meaningless, irrelevant. Most of Israel rejected their God most of the time therefore, using that reasoning, we should also?

LET US DISPENSE WITH THE MYTH

"For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."
-Epharaem the Syrian, 373 AD,

"Watch for your life's sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh."
-Didache, dated about 100-120 A.D., Ante-Nicene Fathers VII: 382.

"In the history of Christianity three main forces are found to have acted as auxiliaries to the gospel. They have elicited the ardent enthusiasm of men whom the bare preaching of the gospel would never have made decided converts. These [include] a belief in the speedy return of Christ and in His glorious reign on earth .... First in point of time came the faith in the nearness of Christ's second advent and the establishing of His reign of glory on the earth. Indeed it appears so early that it might be questioned whether it ought not to be regarded as an essential part of the Christian religion."
-Adolph Harnack, "Millennium," Encyclopedia Britannica (ninth edition), XVI, 314

"They expected the return of the Lord in their day .... They believed the time was imminent because their Lord had taught them to live in a watchful attitude." And concerning the Ante- Nicene Fathers, he says: "By tradition they knew the faith of the Apostles. They taught the doctrine of the imminent and premillenial return of the Lord."
-Jesse Forest Silver, in his excellent book The Lord's Return, Fleming H. Revell Co., New York, 1914, 62-63.

It must be stated here and now that we are not to trust any doctrine by who believed it (appeals to authority), how many believed it (appeals to majority), or when they believed it. These above citations are merely a handful of those extant, showing that the argument that the early church did not believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the church is false, for those who do not accept internal evidence, which is hardly scant.

Now add to that the dozens more discovered talking about it since that first false accusation was made, and yet another argument completely collapses.

4. The Bible does not specifically say that the Church will be raptured from the earth before the Great Tribulation

OK. Terrific. Except that, no place in Scripture are we told that the Church will go through the Great Tribulation, nor does it even imply that she is under God's Wrath, nor that she is under/subject to His Judgment (only discipline), since Jesus took all of that from us. Not only that, but she is not seen nor referred to on earth after chapter three of the book of Revelation! The fact is, it is not even implied that the Church is under judgment (except internally, called Church discipline), or else, if she were, then the Gospel is false. That would be our Gospel.

I Peter 4:15-17:
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Judgment beginning at the house of God is called "Church DISCIPLINE". In context it shows this clearly. This is not God's Wrath, The Great Tribulation!

Persecution against most of the church, in most of the world, through most of the time in the last two thousand years, was persecution due to wrath from the world and the enemy. The fact is, in God's Word, the church was promised persecution and tribulation.

PERSECUTION: NORMAL, PROMISED AND DELIVERED

John 15:20:
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

John 16:33:
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Matthew 13:20-21:
But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Acts 8:1:
And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles.

Acts 11:19:
Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.

Acts 13:50:
But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.

Romans 8:35:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

GOD'S FINAL WRATH: UNIQUE

The Great Tribulation is wrath coming on the world from the LORD HIMSELF, a vast difference! The only exception is the woman (Israel) in Revelation twelve, persecuted by the dragon and the beast. Not the Church, but Israel. The Church Body, the Bride of Christ Who the world hated and hates even until today and into the future is not entitled to avoid any persecution, suffering, personal, family or corporate persecution or tribulation. I have yet to meet a pre-tribber who believes that, since we all live in a fallen world and understand that it must happen. It has happened every place else, why not in America? Why are who we not listed as a nation in God's Word, so special? But alas, this is STILL NOT THE GREAT TRIBULATION on the entire earth, directed at God's enemies, both physical and spiritual, it is normal.

Basically, to compare the two is not honest. They are easily distinguishable, unrelated in scope and time.

5. The "trumpets" argument

The trumpets argument goes something like this:

"The trumpets of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 are the same trumpets found in Revelation 11:15-18, Joel 2:1, and Matthew 24:31 which, of course, are all sounded during the Great Tribulation."

What is forgotten or ignored is the fact that, in God's Word, not all trumpets are blown for the same reason, in either testament.

GOD'S TRUMPS/TRUMPETS IN SCRIPTURE:

Exodus 19:13:
There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

Exodus 19:16:
And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

Exodus 19:19:
And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

Exodus 20:18:
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

Leviticus 25:9:
Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.

Numbers 10:4:
And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.

Joshua 6:5:
And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

I Corinthians 15:52:
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

I Thessalonians 4:16:
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Reasons For trumpets/trumps

When exactly in either testament, outside of the verses talking about the return of the Messiah, did a trumpet signal the dead rising? People afterwards meeting them in the air? This is a unique event for the trump, for sure.

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(Revelation 11:3-13)
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

One cannot read this and get the sense that, watching it on TV or the internet, they cannot say when the Second Coming is. One would have to not pay attention or not know how to count. Any calender, Jewish or Gregorian, lunar or solar, you will know when the Messiah comes for Israel. For certain the Jews in Israel will, at that point, be counting carefully, at least the saved ones.

(Revelation 13:15)
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

THE DATE SETTERS: PROBLEMS WITH USING BEHAVIOR AS AN EXCUSE

Not one of these reasons is valid, but often used.

Noah and His Family-RAPTURED

(Genesis 6:8-14)
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ¶ These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

(1 Peter 3:20)
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Righteous Enoch-RAPTURED

(Genesis 5:24)
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

(Hebrews 11:5)
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

TRANSLATED, pp. Conveyed from one place to another; removed to heaven without dying; rendered into another language.

Now Enoch was raptured, when? Right before Methusaleh died. What happened Methusaleh died? Judgment upon the entire world with the Flood of Noah, and not one second before! Methusalah's name ("Shalach") actually means, "His Death Shall Bring", so everyone who was a believer knew that when Methusaleh died, that was it for the world that then was!

Righteous Lot-RAPTURED

(Genesis 19:12-19)
¶ And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. ¶ And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. ¶ And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:

(Genesis 18:25)
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

RAHAB THE HARLOT AND HER FAMILY: RAPTURED!

(Joshua 2:18-19 [AKJV/PCE])
Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

(Joshua 6:17 [AKJV/PCE])
¶ And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

ISRAEL: SEQUESTERED, RAPTURED IN EGYPT

God removed Israel from Egypt to dwell in Goshen, told them to stay there, while He sent plagues upon Egypt. This was not yet the destruction of Egypt, just a stimulus to let Israel go. He later removed the nation out of Egypt in the Exodus, then destroyed Egypt by destroying their army, drowning it in the Red Sea. God COULD have left Israel in Egypt and protected her, while right in the middle of destroying Egypt, but yet that is not how God does it. It is always His lesson that we are to separate ourselves from the world, even while dwelling in it, by removing His people always before destroying the world, the world's system, the world's nations, individually or en masse, as in the Great Tribulation.

(Exodus 8:22 [AKJV/PCE])
And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

(Exodus 9:26 [AKJV/PCE])
Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

(Jude 1:5 [AKJV/PCE])
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

MOSES AND AARON + ISRAEL: RAPTURED

(Numbers 16:1 [AKJV/PCE])
Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.
And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also? For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him? ¶ And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up: Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us? Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.
And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them. And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow: And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer. And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron. And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.
And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.
And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.
¶ And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed. The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.
And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar: To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses. ¶ But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD. And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation. ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
¶ And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

Elijah-RAPTURED

(2 Kings 2:11)
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

(Romans 5:9)
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

The LORD Jesus Christ HIMSELF-RAPTURED

(Acts 1:9-11)
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Now, because it is said that the Rapture will be sudden, in the twinkling of an eye, because it will usher in judgment and wrath-unlike at this event 2,000 years ago-because God said so, the Rapture is the same here for us, just a lot faster, so as to usher in chaos for the anti-Christ to have a deceived populace to work with to set up his temporary throne.

Mark 16:19:
So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Revelation of John 12:5:
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Phillip-RAPTURED

Acts 8:39:
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

Paul-RAPTURED

2 Corinthians 12:4:
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

John-RAPTURED

Revelation of John 4:1:
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

ISRAEL: REMOVED FROM EGYPT BEFORE JUDGMENT

(Exodus 5:1)
And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

(Exodus 7:16)
And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

(Exodus 8:1)
And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

(Exodus 8:20)
¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

(Exodus 8:21)
Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

(Exodus 9:1)
Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

(Exodus 9:13)
¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

(Exodus 10:3)
And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

(Exodus 10:4)
Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:

(Exodus 12:31)
¶ And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.

(Exodus 12:37)
¶ And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

(Exodus 12:41)
And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

(Jude 1:5)
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

REMOVAL FROM EGYPT, PRE-JUDGMENT-PSALM 106

(Psalms 106:7)
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.

They were at the Red Sea because they were removed from Egypt

(Psalms 106:8)
Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.

His Name is at stake if God does not remove His people (who are not under judgment) before judging the wicked (who are under His judgment)

(Psalms 106:9)
He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.

(Psalms 106:10)
And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

Yes, God preserved them. Yes, God protected them alone during the plagues-but God never wiped out Pharaoh and his army until He removed His people Israel.

(Psalms 106:11)
And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.

After Israel was removed from them and separated by an impassible roadblock of fire, then water.

The point is simply this. God COULD have left all of these people on earth, in that exact spot or in that exact area, that exact city, and protected them, preserved them in that spot, since they themselves were not the object of His wrath. Instead, God chose to remove them far away, before judgment could be accomplished.

THE BAROMETER: ISRAEL THE FIG TREE

(Isaiah 49:14-16)
But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

(Jeremiah 30:7)
Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Israel is the barometer for the Rapture, Last Days, the Great Tribulation and the Triumphant Return of the LORD Jesus Christ.

ISRAEL'S INGATHERING: THE PROPHECIES

(Isaiah 11:12)
And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

(Ezekiel 11:16-17)
Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

(Ezekiel 20:33-36)
¶ As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.

(Ezekiel 20:41-44)
I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

(Ezekiel 28:25-2)
Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob. And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.

(Ezekiel 37:21-22)
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

(Ezekiel 39:27-28)
When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.

(Amos 9:11-15)
¶ In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.

(Zechariah 8:4-8)
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.

(Obadiah 1:19-21)
And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south. And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.

(Isaiah 27:6)
He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.

(Jeremiah 16:15)
But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

(Jeremiah 23:3)
And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

(Jeremiah 23:8)
But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

(Jeremiah 29:14)
And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

(Jeremiah 30:3)
For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

(Jeremiah 32:37)
Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:

There are many other verses in regards to the return of Israel to her land in the last days, the blooming of the desert, preparations for the Third Temple, etc. Suffice it to say that we entered that era when she returned to her land in 1948. She is there to stay, forever.

THE LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF THE RAPTURE

The only method that works is the one that the people IN Scripture, including Jesus Himself, used. It is the one that God said to use. Are there symbols in Scripture? Yes. Are there allegories? Yes. But, figures though they are, in each mention, they represent something literal, not allegorical. Israel is not literally a fig tree, but it is the fig tree that represents it, not a spiritual fig tree, but a literal, physical nation called Israel.

REVELATION AFTER THE RAPTURE

The Focus: Israel vs. the Church

In Revelation, from chapters two through three, there are seven churches, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Once Jesus ends His letters to them, the church is not much spoken of, they are not on earth and they are only spoken of in Heaven. From then on, God's people Israel and her enemies are all that are spoken about on earth, as the Church, the Bride of Christ, is only seen in Heaven, until eternity starts:

IT'S ALL ISRAEL

(Revelation 5:5)
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

(Revelation 7:3-8)
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

(Revelation 11:1-8)
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

(Revelation 12:1-6)
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

(Revelation 12:13-17)
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

(Revelation 14:1-5)
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

(Revelation 16:14)
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

(Revelation 20:9)
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

(Revelation 21:2-3)
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

(Revelation 21:10-14)
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

(Revelation 22:14)
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

(Revelation 22:16)
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

(Revelation 22:19)
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

While all of the references given do not specifically mention Israel by name, some do; the rest are Old Testament Jewish practices, symbols, references etc. Much of the correlations also come from the book of Daniel, like direct cross references.

THE JEWISH WEDDING SCENARIO (Parable of the Ten Virgins)

THE GENTILE TIMES/THE CHURCH AGE

(Luke 21:24)
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

(Romans 11:25)
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

ISRAEL: REMOVED FROM HER LAND BEFORE FINAL JUDGMENT OF THE ANTI-CHRIST'S SEAT

REVEALED AS THE WOMAN IN REVELATION 12

(Revelation 12:1-6)
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

ISRAEL THE WOMAN: THE REMOVAL

(Revelation 12:6)
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

(Revelation 12:14)
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

The Church-RAPTURED

(Revelation 3:10)
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

The churches in Revelation represent actual churches in Asia at the time it was written, plus the history of the Church, Philadelphia representing the Reformation age, and the true church. We are currently in the last church, the church of Laodicea, the apostate church. But the churches also represents the seven basic types of churches throughout church history, and seven basic personalities of Christians as well.

(Genesis 5:21-24)
¶ And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

(Genesis 7:1)
And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

(2 Kings 2:11)
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

For the past two thousand years, many Christians did not think much about the Rapture at all, simply because the events of the last days as described in Scripture had not yet begun to unfold. On top of that, Paul told them through his letters that, although it was imminent, the Day of the LORD was not yet, until a great "Laodicean" falling away happened, which did not in his day, like it is today.

(2 Thessalonians 2:1-8)
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

(Revelation 3:10)
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

(1 Thessalonians 1:10)
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Matthew 24:3
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

From Scripture itself, in its context, it is impossible to claim that the Rapture and the Second Coming are the exact same event at all.

"We shall only have spiritual bodies"

(John 14:3)
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Jesus continues later...

John 16:7:
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

What we see here is that Jesus must go, so that the Holy Spirit can come. What we see in the Rapture is the opposite of this, that he Holy Spirit must leave so that Jesus can come. The Holy Spirit is resident in the Church; therefore the Church must be removed for Jesus to return to earth.

MATTHEW 24

(Matthew 24:1-51)
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

VERSES:

Genesis 5:24
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

2 Kings 2:11
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

1 Thessalonians 5:9
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

John 14:1-3
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

COMPARISON: The Rapture vs. The Second Coming

While both the Rapture and the Second Coming deal with last days/end times, they are not the same, nor dealt nor described the same way in Scripture. This makes it easy to distinguish to the serious student, even the unbelievers, casual observers, on a cursory check. This is why rejection of it is irrational, emotional, often based upon "mainstreamism.

THE RAPTURETHE SECOND COMING
It is our blessed hopeIt is a scary proposition, due to the fact that it is intense judgment on earth, persecution on God's people
Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled" to the disciplesThis is not anything said of the Revelation believers
Sudden, unknown, unpredictable, unexpected, as a thief in the nightVery predictable, especially from the start of the second half of the tribulation
Imminent, any time, nothing has to happen for it to occurNo imminency, with many events have to be fulfilled in Revelation
We meet in the air/cloudsJesus comes to earth
Movement from earth to HeavenMovement from Heaven to earth
Jesus comes FOR usJesus comes WITH us
Jesus comes FOR His brideJesus comes WITH His bride
Jesus comes for the ChurchJesus comes for Israel
Time of Deliverance Time of Judgment
Hidden/SecretVisible to the entire world's eyes
Saints removed; sinners remain on earthSinners removed; saints remain on earth
Dead in Christ, living in Christ resurrectedBeheaded/martyred saints' bodies of The Great Tribulation are resurrected
The twinkling of an eye speedComing on horses galloping, trotting, cantering, or walking
Glorified bodies given to allFleshly bodies enter millennial kingdom, marry, have children, die
Translation of believersNo translation of anyone
Saints go to HeavenSaints come to earth
Earth is not judged at that momentEarth is judged for three and a half years, and then at this Second Coming
NOT in the Old Testament specifically
(a mystery-1 Corinthians 15:51-54)		Written about many times in the Old Testament
Believers onlyAffects the entire world
Before the Day of the LORD'S WrathConcludes the Day of the LORD'S Wrath, starts the Millennium
The enemy not even mentionedEnemy is bound for 1,000 years
The start of The Great TribulationThe END of the Great Tribulation
Not hard to harmonize all of end time prophetic ScriptureVery hard to harmonize all of prophetic Scripture, often not even
attempted
Church not present first sixty nine weeks of DanielAll seventy weeks spoken of are exclusively, explicitly about Israel
The pre-tribulation position/viewpoint does not have a problem of who will populate the millennium.Third, post-tribulation position/viewpoint has a significant problem of who will populate the millennium if the rapture and second coming occur at the same time. Since all believers will be translated at the rapture and all unbelievers judged, because no unrighteous shall be allowed to enter Christ’s kingdom, then no one would be left in mortal bodies to start the population base for the millennium.
The sheep and the goats are separated on the earth The post tribulation position/viewpoint has a problem again trying to explain "the sheep and goats judgment" after the second coming in Matthew 25:31-46. Again, how would there be any believers in mortal bodies, if they were raptured at the second coming, who would be available to enter into Christ’s kingdom?
Precedes, ushers in a huge amount of evil on earthPrecedes, ushers in peace on earth
A time of joy for the believersA time of sadness, mourning for the world of unbelievers
Christ comes to take believers outChrist comes to judge the wicked unbelievers
Believers taken out, unbelievers remainUnbelievers taken out, believers remain
We are told to expect to be kept from the Tribulation (Revelation 3:10: Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.No such promise is made, or it is ignored in Scripture
Resurrection takes place during the descent of Christ to earthResurrection takes place after Christ arrives on earth
Jesus takes His bride to the Marriage supper of the LambJesus comes to judge the earth, great supper of the bodies for the birds (Rev. 19:7), establish His Kingdom
Jesus gives a shout and the trump of God sounds suddenly, no white horseNo shout, no trumpet, just arrival on a white horse of Jesus with His saints
Comfort, hope, joy, peaceExpectation of evil wrath, tribulation, persecution, martyrdom, war, etc.
Worldwide deceptionDeception ends, satan bound
Starts the Great Tribulation: two thirds Israel killed (Zechariah 13)All Israel regathered, saved (Jeremiah 23:5-8), END of Great Tribulation
Start of 100% control by anti-Christ of government, one world religion, one world economic systemEND of anti-Christ government, government is 100% of Jesus Christ
The LORD gathers the saintsThe angels gather the elect
Both living and dead saints gatheredLiving saints gathered
Historical grammatical (strictly literal) interpretation of ScriptureOpen to interpretation, allegorical, figurative, metaphorical, end times prophecies cannot always be taken literally
Impossible to ever claim Tribulation has started, anti-Christ identifiedTribulation can be happening now, anti-Christ revealed at any time, maybe soon
Church cannot know, meet, see or worship anti-ChristChurch will know, see, can take the mark of the beast, worship the anti-Christ, meet anti-Christ
Israel and the Church two separate entities, peoples, always. Distinction between Israel and the Church blurry at best, confused and confusing at worst, often with "Replacement Theology" where the CHurch replaces ISrael, God is done with Israel
The Rapture relates to the ChurchThe Second Coming with the Church relates to Israel's salvation
The dead in Christ shall rise, the living will be translated to meet the Lord in the airThe Second Coming is to earth
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture deals primarily, exclusively and solely with the saintsThe Second Coming of Christ deals primarily with the evil, wicked sinners
Chaos starts on earth, leading to the Armageddon WarArmageddon is ended, saving humanity from self destruction
Israel has not accepted their MessiahIsrael accepts their Messiah
Jesus Returns for His Church/Bride(Luke 21:27)
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.Zech 14:5; Col 3:4; Rev 19:7-8,14, 21:9-10; Matt 24:29-31; Jud 1:14,15; 1Thess 3:13
Caught up with Him in the air, in the clouds, 1Thess 4:13-18;
Appears to Believers only. Mat 5:8, John 11:40, Heb 9:28		Jesus' feet touch the earth Zech 14:4; Rev 19:11-21, and he brings war, then peace.
Every eye will see him,including unbelievers. Rev 1:7, Zech 12:10, Mat 24:30 Luke 3:6 John 19:37
Christians taken first, unbelievers are left behind a shut door. Mat 25:1-13; Rev 3:8-10; Rev 4:1, 1Thess 4:13-18 Wicked are taken first, Mat 13:28-30 the righteous (Tribulation saints) are left to populate the millinnium
Purpose: To present the Church to Himself and to the Father in Heaven, 2 Cor 11:2; Rev 19:6-9 Purpose: To execute judgment on earth and set up His Kingdom on earth. Zech 14:3-4; Jud 1:14-15; Rev 19:11-21
Purpose: to cast satan out of heaven (Rev 12) down to the earth, which will reveal Satan for the Tribulation as the man of sin 2Thess 2 Purpose: to cast Satan to the bottomless pit, to bind Satan after the Tribulation. Rev 20:1-7
Happens in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, no war, globally. 1Cor 15:52 Slow coming, at war, to specific locations, from Edom, to Bozrah, to Meggido or Armageddon, to Jerusalem. Isa 63:1-3, Rev 16:16, Zech 12:9-10
Christians are changed, and get spirit bodies, go to heaven and do not marry, and become immortal; Mat 22:30; 1Cor 15:52; 1John 3:2 People populate the earth during the millinnium, some people still die, not being changed to immortality as at the rapture. Isa 65:20
Jesus descends with a shout (for resurrection) and trumpetnoise. 1Thess 4:16 No shout mentioned Rev 19:11-21
A resurrection takes place of all saints to immortality, to rule as kings and priests in Heaven over Earth 1Cor 15:51-54; 1Thess 4:13-18 Resurrection of the tribulation saints to immortality who worship day and night in the temple of God. Rev 7:15, Rev 20:4-6,
Occurs as a thief in the night, at the 'no man knows the day or hour' festival of the Feast of trumpets. Mat 24:43; 1Thess 5:4-6; Rev 3:3Occurs at end of 7 years of Tribulation; exact day predicted; 3.5 years or 1260 days after the abomination of desolation: Dan 9:24-27, 12:11-12; Rev 11:2, 12:6,14, 13:5
Is likened to the abduction of the bride during the Jewish Wedding, and the union of the bride and groom, which occurs at the start of the 7 day bridal week. Gen 29:22-28, Judges 14:1-18 Is likened to the marriage feast, which occurs after the 7 day bridal week, returning from the wedding. Luke 12:36; Rev 19
The dead in Christ rise and together with then living will be changed into their new bodies and leave Earth with Jesus. 1Thess 4:14-16 Christians return with Jesus in already resurrected bodies riding on white horses. Rev 19:11-21
Jesus returns as a savior from wrath Luke 21:36; Rom 5:9; 1Thess 1:10, 5:9; Rev 3:10 Jesus returns on a white horse, full of wrath. Rev 19:11
For the Church only (those in Christ) 1Thess 4:14-17 For redeemed Israel & Gentiles Mat 25:31-46; Rom 11:25-27
A message of hope and comfort 1Thess 4:18; Titus 2:13; 1John 3:3
Like the days of Noah and Lot, which show deliverance and salvation from judgement. 2 Peter 2:7-9, Mat 24:37-44		 A message of terror, panic, abject fear, pain, suffering, death, martyrdom, judgment and woe Joel 3:12-16; Amos 5:18; Mal 4:5; Rev 19:11-21
Like the plagues of Egypt, many of which are mirrored in Revelation, pouring out his Wrath, and He comes after the judgements.

(Matthew 2:16-18)
¶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

(Matthew 27:3-9)
¶ Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;

Luke 20:35-38:
But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

These contrasts should be glaring, making it very evident that the two events are very different. Just think about our bodily translation. Non-glorified bodies entering the millennium is what it teaches, as well as fleshly bodies (earth's survivors of the Great Tribulation and glorified ones (Church saints) on earth.

Fine linen, the righteousness of the saints

Philippians 3:21:
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Revelation of John 19:7-8:
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Revelation of John 19:14:
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

(Revelation 19:14-16 [KJV])
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

WHITE HORSES

These few verses are the only places they occur in Scripture, representing different things. Traditionally, we think of them as the victor riding in on them, which is true in Scripture as well, even if it is a temporary, false victory over war (Revelation 6:2). Nevertheless, the lesson here is that the return of the LORD Jesus Christ to earth is in no way the same, in the same manner as the Rapture. It is visible to all, during a different time, for a different reason, to come for different people (Israel vs. the Church)

(Zechariah 6:1-3 [KJV])
And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.

This represents the successions of Babylonian empire, the Persian empire, the Grecian empire which overthrew the Persians and, finally, the Roman empire. This is not the Second Coming of Christ and this is an important distinction!

(Revelation 6:2 [KJV])
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

This white horse is ridden by an angel to bring in a temporary, false peace ("peace and safety", "peace, peace when there is no peace" idea, along those lines)

(Revelation 19:11 [KJV])
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Second Coming

Seven years from the start of it, 3 1/2 from the abomination of desolation

(Daniel 9:27)

John 14:1-3

Daniel 2:44-45

Romans 8:19

Daniel 7:9-14

1 Corinthians1:7-8

Daniel 12:1-3

1 Corinthians 15:1-53

Zechariah 14:1-15

1 Corinthians 16:22

Matthew 13:41

Phillippians 3:20-21

Matthew 24:15-31

Colossians 3:4

Matthew 26:64

1 Thessalonians 1:10

Mark 13:14-27

1 Thessalonians 2:19

Mark 14:62

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Luke 21:25-28

1 Thessalonians 5:9

Acts 1:9-11

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Acts 3:19-21

2 Thessalonians 2:1

(3?)
1 Thessalonians 3:13

1 Timothy 6:14

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10

2 Timothy 4:1

2 Thessalonians 2:8

Titus 2:13

2 Peter 3:1-14

Hebrews 9:28

Jude 14-15

James 5:7-9

Revelation 1:7

1 Peter 1:7, 13

Revelation 19:11-20:6

1 John 2:28-3:2

Revelation 22:7, 12, 20

Jude 21

Revelation 2:25

Revelation 3:10

In Daniel chapter twelve, verse four we read:

(Daniel 12:4)
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

(Zechariah 14:4)
¶ And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

(Luke 21:36)
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

(John 14:2-3)
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

(1 Thessalonians 1:10)
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

(1 Thessalonians 4:14-17)
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

(1 Thessalonians 5:9)
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

(Revelation 3:10)
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

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